Orchard spraying machine



May 26, 1953 R. H. FISH 2,639,940

ORCHARD SPRAY'ING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 50, 1950 IINVENTOR Rickard fLEsh m N 'BY wai ATTORNEYS May 26, 1953 R. H. FISHORCHARD SPRAYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 Ly w wINVENTOR Richard 1-6. Eds

ATTORNEYS Patented May 26, 1953 ORCHARD SPRAYING MACHINE Richard H.Fish, Morgan Hill, Calif., assignor to Air- Fan Products Corporation, acorporation of California Application October 30, 1950, Serial No.192,964

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in orchard sprayingmachines used for the purpose of applying disease and pest controlliquids to the orchard trees.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a compact,unitary, self-powered, centrifugal fan-type spray unit adapted to bearranged in novel combination with a high pressure hose and nozzle typespraying machine whereby to convert the same from a hand to an automaticsprayer. By automatic sprayer is meant a machine which travels betweenthe orchard rows and discharges high velocity spray directly from a faninto the trees.

Afurther object of this invention is to provide a spray unit which isdesigned for ready and convenient mounting in place, whereby tofacilitate the conversion of a hose and nozzle type spraying machine toan automatic type, as aforesaid.

Another object of the invention is to construct the spray unit so thatit may function to emit a spray blast from one side or the other, orfrom both, selectively; the unit including novel adjustable air blastdeflector vanes which control the pattern of the spray from each side ofthe machine.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel valveassembly, adjacent the tractor seat, for the selective control of thespray blasts to one side or the other, or both sides, as in thepreceding paragraph.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a spray unit designedfor ease and economy of manufacture. 7

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical andreliable orchard spraying machine, and yet one which will be exceedinglyeffective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the orchard spraying machine.

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation, partly broken away, of the unitary,self-powered spray unit employed in the machine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of said spray unit.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of the valve assembly asmounted adjacent the operators seat on the tractor.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral l indicates, generally, a tank trailer adapted tobe coupled in driven relation by a tongue 2 to the rear of a tractor 3.The tank trailer I includes therein a tank 4 for liquid spray material,and a conduit 5 connects the tank 4 to a gas engine driven pump unit 6likewise within the trailer 1.

2 A supply hose 1 leads out of the trailer I to supply the liquid sprayunder pressure from the pump unit 6.

In some adaptations a tank trailer as above may be used as a hose andnozzle type spraying machine, and in such event the supply hose I isextended, valve controlled, and fitted with a hand supported nozzle, bymeans of which an operator may manually direct said nozzle to sprayorchard trees or the like.

The present invention contemplates the conversion of the above type ofspraying machine to an automatic sprayer; i. e. a machine which spraysdirectly from a spray unit, fixed on the machine, into the adjacentorchard trees, such conversion being accomplished as follows:

At the rear end thereof the tank trailer I is formed with a rearwardlyprojecting platform 8, and a compact, unitary, self-powered centrifugalfan-type spray unit, indicated generally at 9, is mounted on suchplatform 8; such unit being constructed and functioning as follows:

The spray unit 9 comprises a base to secured to the platform 8, with anengine housing ll upstanding from said base rearwardly of a centrifugalfan housing l2.

Within the housing It the base 10 supports a gas engine [3 whichincludes a starting crank l4 and an exhaust Hi.

The engine I3 includes a direct-drive fan shaft I6 which extendsrearwardly and coaxially into the centrifugal fan housing 12.

The centrifugal fan housing l2 includes a front plate 11, a back platel8, and a bottom plate l9; said housing, above said bottom plate [9,being formed with an arcuate discharge slot 26 of at least extent,disposed half on each side of the fan housing I2.

Radially inwardly of the discharge slot 2 i] there is a corresponding,outwardly tapering throat 2|,

- which throat extends in matching relation about a centrifugal fan 22mounted on the fan shaft [6; said throat running unbroken from oppositeends of the bottom plate IS.

The centrifugal fan 22 includes a hub 23, a front plate 24, and a backplate 25; there being a plurality of volute-like fan blades 26 extendingtoward the hub 23 between the plates 24 and 25 in equallycircumferentially spaced, spider-like arrangement.

The back plate !8 of the fan housing and the back plate 25 of thecentrifugal fan are formed with enlarged openings 21 and 28,respectively, for the purpose of air intake into the fan. The opening 2has a grill-type guard 29 fitted there- Radially out from thecentrifugal fan 22, and within, the tapering throat 2|, there is acondistantly and being adjustably secured in said throat by studs 31which project laterally outwardly from the lower end of each vanethrough the plates l1 and [8; said studs normally being maintained-tightand against rotation by nuts 32. With this arrangement the deflectorvanes 30 are normally held in fixed position but may be adjusted,preparatory to use of the machine, as working conditions may require.

The adjustable vanes 3B are concave on one side, which is for thepurpose of redirecting the air flow from the fan to effectively controlthe spray pattern.

Substantially radially outwardly facing spray nozzles 33 extend in anarcuate path about the upper and side portions of the centrifugal fan22, being disposed substantially in the slot centrally between oppositesides thereof.

The nozzles 33 are in communication with, and are supported by, lateralfittings 34 which extend forwardly through the adjacent part of the fanhousing, connecting-outwardly of the housing-with a correspondingmanifold '35. There is a manifold 35 for each side of the spray unit 9;i. e. from a point adjacent the top downwardly to a point adjacent thecorresponding end of the bottom plate l9. With this arrangement, thenozzles on one side of the machine are fed by one manifold, while thenozzles on the other side of the machine are fed by the other manifold.

Separate hoses '36 lead from a tractor mounted control valve assembly,indicated generally at 31, rearwardly along the tank trailer I toconnection with the lower end of the corresponding manifold-35.

The control valve assembly 3'! is preferably mounted alongside theoperators seat 38 on the tractor, being secured thereto by a clamp 39.The control valve assembly 31 comprises a T-fitting 49 connected, at thecentral leg, to the-supply hose 1, and connected, at opposite ends, tothe feed hoses '36-, with manual valves 4| interposed between each suchfeed hose 3'6 and the corresponding end of said T-fitting 40.

In operation of the described orchard spraying machine, liquid spraymaterial is fed under high pressure from the tank 4 through hose 1 tothe control valve assembly 31.

By the selective manipulation of the valves 4| by the tractor operator,high pressure liquid spray can be fed through one or the other, or bothsimultaneously, of the feed hoses 3 6, to the end that spray emits fromthe nozzles 33 at either side, or both sides simultaneously, oi thecentrifugal fan 22.

With said centrifugal fan 22 driven at relatively high speed by theengine 13, a high velocity air blast delivers from the discharge slot20, picking up the atomized liquid spray from the nozzles 33 and blowingit forcefully into the orchard trees along the row between which themachine is traveling.

By reason of the described selectively controlled valve assembly 31, thetractor operator, from the seat 38, may cause the machine to spray fromeither side, or both sides, as aforesaid, and as working conditions mayrequire.

A combination orchard spraying machine as described provides for thepractical, convenient, and effective spraying of orchard trees; thespray unit 9 being initially separate, unitary, and selfpowered, which.makes possible the ready conversion of a hose and nozzle type sprayingmachine into an automatic spraying machine, with the ad'- Yantaeesattendant the latter.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, Still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, th following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. In combination, a tractor, a trailer coupled to the tractor, thetrailer including means to supply a liquid spray under pressure, aplatform at the rear of the trailer, a unitary selfpowered spray unitmounted on the platform, a conduit system mainly exteriorly of thetrailer connected between said spray supply means and the spray unit,and a control valve assembly fnsaid conduit system mounted on thetractor adjacent and alongsidethe operators station.

2. A combination, as in claim 1, in which the spray unit includes setsof spray nozzles adapted tod'i'scha-rge laterally outward from oppositesides of said unit; the conduit system having a separate conduitlea-ding from the valve assembly on the tractor to each set of spraynozzles, and said assembly including a valve corresponding to each ofsaid separate conduits.

3. In combination, a tractor, a trailer coupled to-thetractor, thetrailer including means to supply a liquid spray under pressure, asupply conduit leading forwardly from said means to the tractor, avalveassembly on the tractor adjacent the operator's station, the supplyconduit connecting to the valve-assembly, a feed conduit leading fromthe valve assembly rearwardly to adjacent the rear end of the trailer,the latter including a rear end platform, and a unitary selfpoweredspray unit mounted'on the platform and connectedwith said feed conduit;the supply and feed conduits including flexible portions between thvalve assembly and the trailer.

4. In combination with a wheel supported vehicle including means thereonto supply a liquid spray under pressure, a platform on the vehicle, aunitary self-powered spray unit mounted on the platform, and a valvecontrolled conduit system connected between said spray supply means andsaid spray unit; there being a tractor coupled to th vehicle, saidsystem including a portion extending to adjacent the operators stationon the tractor, and a valve in said portion manually accessible to saidoperator and mounted on the tractor.

RICHARD H. FISH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,761,723 Greer June 3, 1930 2,08%)55' Taylor July 6, 19372,226,192 Barrett Dec. '24, 1940 2,238,120 Launder Apr. 15,. 19412,429,374 Shade Oct. 21, 1947 2,47%,9 Daugherty July 5, 1949 2,476,969Daugherty July '26, 1949 2,538,879 Newcomb et al. 1 Jan. 23, 19512,604,357 Daugherty July 22. 1952

